Last chance
by fantasyfix
Summary: Picks up from where series 4 ended. This is my first fanfic so bear with me. This is a work in progress. I don't own anything.
1. Chapter 1

It was 7:30 in the morning and Ally lay stagnant in her bed. As usual, her mind was a mile away from reality. She reached out and placed her hand over to the side of the bed where Larry used to sleep. Three months had past since he left and her pain was still raw. There was no way to occupy her mind, so she spent the majority of her free time in a state of depression.

Her friends had missed the real Ally as she was reluctant even to visit the bar because she could not help but envisage Larry performing to her on stage, which truly brought home what she had lost.

Renée entered Ally's bedroom, determined to bring Ally back to the land of the living.

"Ally honey? Are you ready to go to work?"

Ally felt like laughing. "Let me see . . . I got to be in court today for the worst possible case I could deal with. I got a heartbroken woman who attacked her cheating husband. What do I do? Do I give her encouragement during her time of angst? Tell her to find the strength within that I can't even find for myself?"

"Not everything is about . . . you-know-who."

"Can we not say his name anymore?"

"Larry douche bag Paul! He's not worth the pain, he isn't coming back and the sooner you realise that the better."

Ally had always hoped a miracle would happen and Larry would come back to her some day, but hearing the truth out loud pained her and she closed her eyes to block out the cruel world. Seeing she had hit a nerve, Renée softened her tone.

"Come on, Ally. Just get dressed, go to work and carry on."

Defiantly, Ally nodded and proceeded to get ready, determined to face another day with confidence.

Ally spoke to no-one when she entered the law firm and went straight to her office. Waiting for her was Glenn. She greeted him with a tired smile.

"Could I have a word?"

Ally took her coat off and sat down. "Sure, but I'm due in court soon so you'll have to make it snappish."

Glenn shut the door and took a seat in a chair opposite Ally. He could not help but notice how drawn she looked.

"Are you not well today? You look pale."

Ally realised how sick and weak she had been feeling since Larry left, but she put it all down to the depression. The past three months, her body felt as if it was not hers anymore. "I haven't been feeling well for a while, since you ask. I know it will pass. I'd rather stay at work than sit at home. Is that all you came to say?"

Glenn took a deep breath. "No I . . . I was wondering if you would be willing to go on a date with me tonight. I understand you believe you're not ready, but I truly think we should give this a go. You wont regret it."

Ally rested her head in her hands. It was true that her mind was elsewhere. How could she possibly concentrate on somebody else? On the other hand, she saw this was an opportunity to move her life on.

"One date?" She said.

"Sure. Then perhaps we could go from there . . ."

"We'll take it slow, alright?"

"Sure. I can do slow. Tonight then?"

"Tonight."

The door opened and Elaine stuck her head around. "Ally? Mrs Hauptmann is here."

Ally smiled emptily. "Great. Send her in. We're all set."

Glenn got up and passed Mrs Hauptmann through the door. She was a plain woman who seemed nervous.

"Miss McBeal, could I just talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course." Ally gestured towards a seat and Mrs Hauptmann sat down.

"This is going to sound very silly. Even though you're my lawyer and have a job to defend me anyway, I just wanted to know if you have any personal support for me in this case," she asked.

"Well, I must admit it is a little difficult to support your assaulting your husband with a rolling pin . . ."

"May I remind you he had a six month affair with his secretary?"

"That's where my support for you is." Ally could see that all of a sudden Mrs Hauptmann was under some stress. "Is there something you're really worried about?"

"It's just facing him in court. I know that _she _is going to be there as well. It's seeing him again. I can't bear it. I honestly feel like my heart is broken."

Ally nodded, feeling a relation to her. She leaned across her desk and touched Mrs Hauptmann's arm. "You have to be strong. We'll get him."

The two women exchanged vengeful glances between each other.

Teaming up with Richard on the way, who was second chair, the three of them made their way to court.

The first witness to be called was Mr Hauptmann, who was still bandaged and bruise as a result of the conflict with his wife. This display was obviously damaging for her case. Urgent to see past the horrific attack from her psychotic client, Ally decided to see Mr Hauptmann as someone much worse – a cowardly, deceptive man. Fuelled with contempt for the male race, Ally marched over to confront him, putting her hurt and anger over Larry to constructive use.

Ally began by giving Mr Hauptmann a mocking smile. "Mr Hauptmann, my name is Ally McBeal."

Mr Hauptmann responded with a feeble "Hello."

_How pathetic. He's trying to gain sympathy from the jury by playing "little boy lost," _Ally thought. "How long have you been married to your wife?"

"About a year."

"And how far into the marriage were you until you decided to begin an affair with Miss Posie?" Ally gestured towards a pretty, young brunette sitting close by.

Showing little remorse, Mr Hauptmann took a few moments to think. "About six months."

Ally's eyes widened. "Six months? So it wasn't very long before you strayed from your wife. Some might ask why it is you broke your vows so quickly. Some might also ask why you took them in the first place."

"Are you saying I was taking her for a ride? Marrying her for some wrong reason?"

Ally led him away from the question. "What is your wife's job?"

"She runs her own jewellery business, which she does well out of."

"So she earns a lot of money?"

"Quite a lot."

"And what is your job?"

Mr Hauptmann rolled his eyes. "I work in a bar. But I am not interested in her money. Even if I was, that doesn't give her the right to almost kill me!"

"Maybe not. But what you did do is lead this woman on. You deceived her and took full advantage of her love for you. Therefore, you caused her extreme emotional distress, did you not? You're not exactly the full victim here, smugly revealing your affair with Miss Posie after six months of a sham-marriage." Anger started to rise more and more in Ally's voice as she continued.

"I wasn't smug, I was being honest," said Mr Hauptmann.

Ally did not seem to hear him. "Of course two wrongs don't make a right, but surely you can't say your attack wasn't provoked?"

"If anything, I was respecting her with the truth."

Ally laughed, mockingly. "Respect?! What is it with you men?"

Each person in the courtroom reacted to Ally's last comment, yet she was too wrapped up in her own emotions to notice. Richard began to cringe as he realised Ally that was no longer focusing on the case, but on her personal life and clearly picturing Larry on the stand instead of Mr Hauptmann.

She went on. "I suppose a woman's feelings are unimportant to you. To you men, the coward's way out is the best way out. Running away and leaving when things get a little too difficult is by far the best option, regardless of the hurt it causes. I mean, there's no reason why you shouldn't abuse a woman's trust just because she loves you. Right?!"

Mr Hauptmann stared gormless at Ally, completely bewildered by her outburst. She returned the stare, but was suddenly distracted by a painful feeling.

"Miss McBeal?" The judge prompted.

Ally could not speak and instead fell to the floor, horrified to see she was bleeding heavily. The rest of the courtroom gawped at her for what seemed like forever, until Richard finally leapt out of his seat and grabbed her by the shoulders.

Feeling scared and confused, Ally pleaded to him. "Help me."


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

Richard sat outside Ally's room in the hospital corridor. The sadness he felt for Ally was immense and he began to wonder if there would ever be an end to her suffering.

Glenn burst into the room and confronted Richard. He was in a state of panic. "What happened? Is she alright?"

Before Richard could answer, Ally's doctor approached them. Both men stood before him with anticipation.

"It's bad news I'm afraid," she said.

"What is it? Will she be okay?" Glenn asked.

"Miss McBeal is weak, but she will pull through this fine. Unfortunately, we weren't able to save her baby."

Glenn looked at Richard, who lowered his head. The doctor noticed Glenn's bewildered reaction.

"Did you not know she was pregnant?"

"No. And as far as I can tell, neither did she. Did Ally not seem surprised?"

"She hardly reacted at all. In fact, it seemed she numbed herself to the situation. I think she is very depressed at the moment. Which of you men are the father?"

"Neither of us," Glenn said.

"So where is he?"

Richard breathed a massive sigh. "In Detroit. But believe me, he is the last person to cure Ally's depression. She has her friends. We'll give her the support she needs."

The doctor nodded. "That's good. Perhaps you can lend her some of that support now."

Richard looked at Glenn. "You go ahead."

Ally was resting her eyes when Glenn entered the room. Trying to be as quiet as he could, Glenn pulled up a chair and sat beside her bed. Ally's eyes flicked open and she acknowledged Glenn with a slight smile.

"Sorry I woke you," Glenn said.

"I wasn't asleep," Ally said with signs of weariness in her voice. "Well, I'm sorry but it looks like dinner is off."

"It doesn't matter. We don't have to worry about that now."

Glenn took a few moments. He did not know whether to stay away from the baby subject, or if it would help Ally to talk about it. "Ally, do you want to discuss . . . it?"

Ally looked at him, confused. "It?"

"The baby. Did you know . . ." Glenn felt like he was in a hole, but had gone to deep to climb out of it. ". . . that there was one?"

"No. I guess it all makes sense now. I was feeling so sick all the time. I can't describe how I feel," she whispered. "It was mine and it was taken from me when I didn't even know it was there. There was me thinking my life couldn't get any harder . . ."

"You'll get over it Ally. You're strong."

"I'm tired of being strong!" Ally cried.

Glenn bowed his head and suddenly felt useless. "Is there anyone else you want here with you? I thinking maybe, there's someone else you'd prefer by your side right now."

Ally shook her head. "It's impossible. There are three men I need right now and all of them are unreachable."

"We'll see about that. Who do you need?"

"I need John, I need Billy and I need. . ."

"The father?"

Ally's face collapsed.

Glenn sighed. "I'm sorry, Ally. I shouldn't talk about him at this time. I can never say the right thing."

"It's okay. It just . . . wasn't supposed to turn out this way."

Ally stayed over in hospital that night and was allowed to leave the next day. Before leaving, Richard assured her she should take as much time off she needed in order to recover. Renée also brought her some fresh clothes to change into.

Renée drove Ally home in the car. Ally looked out of the passenger's window, trying to distract herself from the past 24 hours.

Renée broke the silence. "Hey Ally, a few weeks from now, perhaps we could take a holiday. I think a change of scenery would do you good."

"You mean admit defeat and run away from my problems like a coward?"

Renée grinned. "Only for a couple of weeks."

Ally thought about it for a while. "It's a nice thought. But seriously, it doesn't matter how far away I run, my life wont change. It's a lot more important for me to just go back to work and get back to normal."

"It's going to be a while before you'll be fit for work again, girl."

Ally shrugged. "Work is all I have now. I'm going to be practical about this."

Renée pulled up next to the sidewalk by their apartment building and helped Ally out of the car. She put her arm around Ally's shoulder.

"We're going to get you through this no problem." Renée assured her.

Ally smiled weakly in response and they made their way into their apartment building. Neither of the girls noticed that a few yards down the road, Larry Paul sat watching Ally through moist eyes in his car.


	3. Chapter 3

Ally decided to get some rest, so she went straight to bed when she got in and fell asleep very quickly. Although she had tried her best to put on a brave face, the pain seemed inescapable in her dreams.

Ally was stood in her bedroom, looking outside her window, when the sound of her baby crying caught her attention. She felt a sudden excitement that it was alive after all and followed the sound into the living room, where she found a crib. She approached it and saw the baby was underneath a blanket and wiggling around.

Ally smiled. "Are you hiding from me?"

As soon as she pulled the blanket away, she saw an empty bed and saw the baby had gone. Ally cried out in despair and leapt up in bed, awaking herself from the nightmare. Two arms caught her and she began to relax, resting her head on the person's shoulder whilst they began to stroke her hair. Ally began to enjoy this for a moment, then wondered what on earth was going on. She withdrew slightly her eyes met Larry's. This made her cry out again, this time with shock and she fell back onto her pillow.

Larry sat looking at her on the side of the bed. He looked slightly nervous. "Hey Ally."

"Hey." Ally did not know how to react. Part of her wanted to ridicule him for leaving, but then she realised she could not bear for her feelings to dwell on anything else and decided to speak from the here and now. She looked at him closely and saw that he had hardly changed. His hair was slightly longer and had no gel, which she preferred. He was in his work clothes, which possibly meant he was in that much of a hurry to see her that he did not bother to change, yet somehow he still looked perfect.

Ally sighed and thought out loud. "You look so beautiful."

Larry smiled at her surprising reaction. Ally suddenly realised she was giving into the temptation of a man who had hurt her. She covered her face with her hands and broke down.

"Sweetie. . ." Larry touched Ally's shoulder.

Feeling the warmth of Larry's touch, made Ally feel more afraid. "Don't Larry. Please don't touch me. I can't let you do this."

Larry drew back. "I'm sorry. It's just not easy sitting here and seeing you this way."

Ally seemed to be caught up in all kinds of emotions over the sudden reunion, so Larry decided to make easy conversation. "You look gorgeous too. You cut your hair, I see."

Ally smiled sarcastically. "Yeah, I know. This is what girls do after breaking up with a guy – change our appearance to separate ourselves from the life we had before and feel convinced with have moved on with a new life, without having to think of the guy we left behind."

"I guess I kind of screwed that by showing up today. Still, you do look pretty."

Ally tried to figure out what to do. "I always kept seeing this moment in my head. I imagined how it would be if we saw each other again. What I'd say to you – like a movie in my head."

All Larry could imagine was Ally performing a montage of emotional displays including shouting, screaming, crying and possibly throwing objects at his head. "I'm almost afraid to ask, but how did it go?"

"Of course it involved confrontations and me winning the upper hand on you this time," Ally shook her head hopelessly, feeling as though she was without the much-needed strength that she needed. "But look at me, Larry. I'm not the strong woman I used to be. I'm tired with the constant failure. I don't want to play this game anymore."

She looked Larry right in the eyes. "You do know it's more than a relationship we lost, don't you?"

Larry felt a pang of pain when he thought of their baby. "Of course. That's why I'm here. I came as soon as I heard, but I've been outside in my car for ages because I didn't know what on earth to say to you."

"It was your baby too, so say whatever you want."

"Ally I'm. . . I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry as well."

Larry could no longer bear the barrier Ally was holding between them and longed to comfort Ally, in exchange for hers. "Ally. . . we need each other."

"No Larry. . ."

"It's okay."

"I said no. I can't let you near me. I'm afraid! I'm too vulnerable for you too hurt me again. I can't let you get too close."

Larry felt helpless. "There must be something I can do for you."

Ally took a moment to think. "Well. . . I could murder a cup of tea."

Larry butted his head to the side. "Tea? That's the answer to all this? Tea?"

Ally smiled. Tea was not the answer to her heartache, but it always did help. "With one sugar."

Larry stood up and decided to embrace the role of her servant. "Coming up!"

In a way, Larry enjoyed the "less is more" approach that Ally created between them and began to appreciate just seeing her again and how beautiful she was. Ally felt his eyes on her as she drank her tea and tried her best not to blush. Feeling awkward, she quickly finished her tea and placed her cup on the bedside table; leaving Larry to wonder how she had not burnt the inside of her mouth off.

"Better?" He asked.

"Yes. Thank you."

"Good." Larry did not want Ally to become upset again, so he decided to do the talking. "As I said before, I'm lost for words as well. I wish I knew the right thing to say. I've been searching for it since I left Detroit."

"Whatever you say, make sure you say it. Don't leave me another note. I'm serious. No more notes, okay? It's time to stop being a coward, Larry Paul."

After not seeing Ally in a painfully long time and losing a child, Larry suddenly felt there was nothing he couldn't face up to anymore. "No more notes. But, the last one. . . I did mean what I wrote in it. You have to know that."

Ally looked confused. "Goodbye?"

"No. The part before that. I kind of hoped it would be enough to make you come after me, or at least call me if you believed we were worth saving. But I didn't hear a thing from you so I didn't think you really did believe in us. I saw that as my cue to leave."

Ally suddenly felt bewildered. "Oh . . . um. . ."

Larry looked at her in disbelief. "You didn't read it? Typical! You're just too smart for your own good."

"I didn't see the point. I knew what it said."

"It said. . . I love you. I always have, always will, and that's all I can say to you now, for what it's worth. I hope that makes you feel less . . . hurt."

Ally sighed. "I couldn't handle reading it. I'm not a mind reader. I can be a coward as well sometimes, so see it as karma. And by the way – of course I loved you! I must have known that."

"But you don't want my love anymore, do you honey," Larry said, considering how cold Ally had been with him.

Ally felt pulled in two directions and struggled to find a way to describe how she felt. "Last week, Elton John was singing down at the bar. He was singing a song that reminded me of you."

Larry looked amused. "You've been seeing Elton John now?"

"He was real!"

"Did Al Green show up as well? Or Gladys and the Pips?"

"Is this all just a big joke to you?"

"Actually, no." Larry's eyes dazed over and all of a sudden he was in a different place. "I keep having these visions myself. Gladys is there and I'm dancing with two other guys. . ."

"Would you shut up and listen to me, please?"

Larry shook out of his daydream. "Of course. Sorry."

"Remember the first week we got together? I was afraid to get too close to you. Like now. I do want your love, but without painful consequences. I told you I couldn't take your leaving again. You told me you wouldn't, but still. . ."

Larry shook his head, feeling hopeless. "Oh jeeze! I know. I also told you I was a failure, didn't I."

"And now I'm petrified how today will end. I'm dreading you leaving again, but I'm afraid of you staying."

Larry could see the stress in Ally and decided it was not good for her. "We don't have to do this now."

"Well, how long do you have?"

"That depends."

"On what?"

"You. I'd do anything for you to trust me again. Each day since we split has been agony for me. We can't let this go because we'll never find this type of love again. Do you honestly believe you'll find someone else who loves you as much as I do? Or vice-versa?"

"That scares me even more."

Larry watched as Ally hid her face in her hands, unable to cope. He decided not to push her anymore. "You should rest."

"Maybe you're right. Just a nap. If you're not here when I wake up . . . Bon voyage."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Whatever."

Ally turned over and was asleep within no time. Larry watched her for a while to make sure she was asleep. He then crept over to her side, brushed away some hair from her face and kissed her cheek.

"Sleep well, Ally," he whispered and left her room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here it is at last! Sorry for the delay. Thanks everyone for your kind reviews. I really hope I continue to please.**

Part 4

Renée awoke early that morning and went into the living room to find Larry curled up on the sofa in just his T-shirt and boxers. She was not as surprised to see him as triumphant to catch him in such a state.

"Goddam! Well there's a sight for sore eyes if I ever did see one. What are you doing here on our couch, Larry Paul? Showing Ally what she's not missing?"

Larry slowly sat up to face Renée, with his hair vertically piled on his head. He smiled at her sarcastically. "Renée! It's been too long. Before you start laying into me some more, I just wanna say that I already know and you're probably right about all of it. Satisfied?"

"I wouldn't waste my breath. I'm going to use the shower and when I get out, I strongly suggest you follow my example. I wouldn't want you to put us off our breakfast."

As Renée left, Larry murmured. "Always a charmer."

There was a knock at the door. Larry sat for a while and listened for any signs of life. When he didn't, he got up.

"I'll get it, shall I?"

Larry opened the door and, to his dismay, found Glen stood in the hall with a huge bouquet of flowers in his hand. Larry stared him up and down suspiciously, which made Glenn feel uncomfortable.

"I came to see Ally," he said.

Larry continued to stare at him, saying nothing.

"So would you let me in?"

"Who are you?" Larry demanded.

"I'm a friend. . ."

"A boyfriend?"

Glenn suddenly felt annoyed by this strange, defensive man who was asking him personal questions. "May I ask who you are?"

"I'm another _friend _of Ally."

"That's great. . . friends is what she needs right now. Could you let me through?"

Larry felt annoyed that Glenn did not take the hint.

"I don't think you quite understood me."

"Too right I don't! Now move your ass out the way!"

The two men stared daggers at each other for a while until they were interrupted by Ally.

"Glenn! Hey! Are those for me?" She took the flowers from Glenn.

"Why are you out of bed?" Larry asked her, as though she was a disobedient child.

She ignored him. "It was sweet of you to drop by."

"No problem," Glenn said. "But I didn't know you had security set up over here now."

"How do you mean?"

Glenn gestured towards Larry. "The interrogator."

Ally .sighed "Oh my. . . This is Larry. Larry – Glenn."

"Is this the Larry I think it is?"

"Yeah."

Glenn looked at Larry. "Well, I think he has a real nerve."

"Yes he does. Would you like to come through to the kitchen? I want to get these flowers into some water."

Glenn followed Ally into the kitchen whilst Larry watched them, feeling about an inch tall. Renée returned and told Larry the shower was free. He started to make his way to the bathroom, nervously keeping his eyes on Glenn and Ally, whilst feeling enraged with jealousy. It was not until he collided with a doorframe that he concentrated on what he was doing. Ally saw out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help but grin.

By the time Ally had washed and dressed, he was pleased to see Glenn had gone and Ally was sat at the breakfast bar, nursing a cup of tea. He took a seat opposite her and smiled. He was surprised to see she smiled back.

"Hey Ally."

"Hey."

"I'm very happy you've been able to move on and find someone."

"Oh please. . ."

"No, you're right. I hope he gets run over."

"At least he was there."

"I know. I'm sorry. At least I'm here now, though. Am I too late?"

Not wanting to answer, Ally instead focused her attention to her cup of tea.

"Surely your tea isn't more interesting than I am? I must be losing my touch."

Ally glared at him, unimpressed. Realising he wasn't going to get a response, Larry changed the subject.

"Is it serious between you and him?"

"Not really. There's been complications with his ex. I'm kind of tired with being in that situation."

Larry thought of Jamie. "Right. But is it. . . the same with him?"

Ally almost laughed. "How can it ever be the same? You were It."

Larry looked her deep in the eyes. "You know what my answer to that is."

"I can't trust you! Besides, you did completely destroy me."

"That's the last thing I'd ever want to do. Listen, I'm going to have to leave again."

"I knew that."

"I want you to come with me. It's just for the weekend. I have to go to Florida. I have an aunt who lives there; she's retired. I've never been down to see her before and she wants to see me."

"For what?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe she just misses me. But it's supposed to be incredible there. However, if I went alone, I don't think I'd enjoy it. The way I see it, it would only be incredible to me if you were there with me."

"You show up unannounced and expect me to go on some trip with you. Are you crazy?"

"Maybe. But honestly, I want to show you me. We can go as friends if you want. Perhaps I could prove myself and gain your trust."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I have just had a miscarriage. I'm in no fit shape to go vacationing to the other side of the country."

"We'll go when you're ready. I'll wait as long as it takes."

Ally narrowed her eyes. "What kind of game is this?"

"It's no game. If it doesn't work out, then fine I'll go. You wont need to deal with me again. But what we had. . . we should find out. One last chance. What do you say?"

Ally looked at him and sighed.


End file.
